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Power ranking NBA head coaches: 2015-16 season

By John Buhler

Oct 23, 2015; Manchester, NH, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens gestures from the sidelines during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Verizon Wireless Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2015; Manchester, NH, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens gestures from the sidelines during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Verizon Wireless Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 9, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Sam Mitchell coaches against the Atlanta Hawks in the fourth quarter at Philips Arena. The Timberwolves defeated the Hawks 117-107. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Sam Mitchell coaches against the Atlanta Hawks in the fourth quarter at Philips Arena. The Timberwolves defeated the Hawks 117-107. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

25. Sam Mitchell, Minnesota Timberwolves

Sam Mitchell wasn’t supposed to coach the 2015-16 Minnesota Timberwolves, but he is doing a respectable job replacing the late Flip Saunders. Though the Wolves have struggled of late, 5-8 on the year, Mitchell has the distinct pleasure of getting to work with two of the league’s young stars, small forward Andrew Wiggins and big man Karl-Anthony Towns in his interim head coaching gig with Minnesota.

This is Mitchell’s second opportunity as an NBA head coach. He led the Toronto Raptors for five seasons (2004-09) to a combined 156-189. His Raptors made the playoffs twice in his five years in Toronto, going 3-8 in 11 games.

Mitchell is in a surprisingly good situation. Minnesota hasn’t made the playoffs since 2004 when Kevin Garnett took the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals. Saunders had done a solid job in putting together a roster of youngsters, veterans, and aging stars. The mix in the Twin Cities gives this team some intrigue.

Sam Mitchell is coaching with house money in 2015-16. Should he continue to work well with this upstart Timberwolves team, he could stick with the team long-term or may have earned himself a third head coaching opportunity. He did win the 2006-07 NBA Coach of the Year Award while with Toronto.

Offense has been a bit underwhelming for the Wolves under Mitchell (102.5, 22nd in NBA), but the defense has been respectable (103.7, 15th in the NBA). Maybe Mitchell is the right guy to mold these youngsters in Minneapolis.

Next: 24. Michael Malone

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